Evan Dashevsky12 VR Headsets That Predate Oculus (Don't Tell Facebook) Before Facebook and Kickstarter, Oculus Rift was just one of the latest in a long (and occasionally regrettable) line of virtual reality headsets.

While we're not exactly sure what Facebook has planned for its new purchase, apparently Zuck and company were able to come up with 2 billion reasons why they needed a virtual reality company (which has yet to be market-tested) to their portfolio.

Oculus is hardly the first (or the only) virtual reality company with (head-mounted) sights on the consumer market. In fact, there have been commercially available VR headgear sets going back decades. Those of a certain age will surely remember The Lawnmower Man days of the 1990s when everybody was certain that virtual reality would permanently break down the barriers between virtual and physical.

Virtual reality was destined to forever alter the way we live! Except that it kinda didn't.

There are a variety of reasons why the VR revolution failed to take off as Clinton-era prognosticators imagined, mostly owing to the fact that the technology wasn't quite there yet. I personally remember my parents taking me to a virtual reality exhibit at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute where I waited in line for an hour-and-a-half to take a five-minute test drive with virtual reality headgear. Once I got my turn, I was pretty disheartened to find out that one side of the diplay was broken, and the virtual "world" was some dinky 8-bit hillscape.

Eventually, the public's futurelust for virtual reality gave way to augmented reality (which itself has proven less-than-impressive) and the term kind of faded away.

But now, the dream of the 90s is back! Sorta? Kinda? Maybe? Let us take a walk down memory lane and see the predecessors that paved the way for Oculus to succeed.

2
The Ultimate Display (1968)

This early device from renowned computer scientist Ivan Sutherland is generally considered to be the first virtual reality head-mounted display. Sutherland and colleagues at MIT experimented with the possibilities of head-mounted computer displays throughout the 1960s.

4
Sega VR (1993, unreleased)

Much-hyped, but never officially released, the Sega VR headset was demonstrated to journalists and industry insiders at the 1993 CES, where it was mostly disregarded. While the device boasted the ability to track and react to head movements, it was still buggy enough that the company shelved it.

5
Atari Jaguar VR (1993, unreleased)

Like the Sega VR set, Atari toyed with the idea of a VR extension to its Jaguar console, but ultimately put a chokehold on the project. Reportedly all prototypes were destroyed by Atari, except two. One of them even ended up on an eBay auction last year. Unfortunately for the seller, it looks like the starting bid of $14,500 was a bit too much, and the gear languished in eBay purgatory.

6
Virtuality 2000 series (1994)

In 1994, Virtuality debuted its 2000 series of VR machines, which allowed users to stand for more versatile gameplay. At that point, according to the video, the company was worth well over £90 million.

7
CyberMaxx 2.0 (1995)

One of the also-rans of the era, VictorMaxx Technologies' CyberMaxx 2.0 boasted two active color LCD panels, each with 180k pixels. It also had hyped-up stereo headphones and headtracking capabilities. But priced at an intimidating $889, the device failed to make any true impact on the market. The headset was profiled in a Business Week article that has already pronounced VR to be a commercial dud.

8
Virtual Boy (1995)

While other game manufacturers of the time proved too timid to release their VR gear, Nintendo dared to live the dream. The company released its "table-top video game console," known as "Virtual Boy" (like "Game Boy," get it?). While the system didn't have the capability to track movements, its claim to "virtual reality" as most people imagine it is tenuous at best. The system was only released in Japan and North America, but following poor reception and sales, Nintendo discontinued the line the next year.

10
Forte VFx1 (1995)

11
Virtual Reality Therapy (1996)

Since the mid-1990s, Virtually Better has been using its patented brand of virtual technology to help patients overcome anxieties such as fear of heights, flying, and even public speaking. They claim to make a difference by making patients virtually confront their fears by walking them through simulated scenarios.

About the Author

Evan Dashevsky served as a features editor with PCMag and host of live interview series The Convo. He could usually be found listening to blisteringly loud noises on his headphones while exploring the nexus between tech, culture, and politics. Follow his thought sneezes over on the Twitter (@haldash) and slightly more in-depth diatribin' over on th... See Full Bio

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